Signorelli, Luca (called Luca of Cortona), an Italian painter, was born at Cortona about 1440. He was instructed first by Matteo da Sienna and afterwards by Pietro della Francesca, whose style he seized so ef- fectually that the works of the two have often been confoimded. He painted many religious subjects, of which a list is given in Hoefer, Nouv. Biot/. Generale, s. v.
Signs. 1. The great bells at Canterbury in the 12th century; one took twenty-four and anotlier thirty-two men to sound it. 2. A most intricate system of talking with the fingers, used by the Clugniacs to indicate their wants in hall. 3. Gerbert furnishes a minute account of a similar manual telegraph made use of by the pre- centor in a choir. — Walcott, Sacred A ixhceol. s. v.
Signuni Crucis (sign of the cross), words used in the form for confirmation, etc. The modern form in the Roman Catholic Church is as follows: "Signo te signo crucis, et conflrmo te ehrismate salutis, in nomine Pa( -t-)tris, et Fi(-|-)lii, et Spiritus (-(-) Sancti. Amen."
Signy, in Norse mythology, was a daughter of king Wolsung, and was married against her consent to Sig- gnir of Gothland. Slie had feared that her husband would bring misfortune to her family, and her dread was real- ized in the murder of her father and eight of her broth- ers, Sigmund, the ninth brother, being rescued by her. She lived in concealment in a hut in the forest with Sig- mund, and having presented herself before him in a changed form, she conceived a son, who was afterwards known as Sinfioetli, and who consequently belonged to the Wolsung race by descent from both his father and his mother. Like his fatlier, he was immensely strong. Sigmund and Signy avenged the murder of their father in the blood of Signy's husband, and Signy then caused herself to be burned with the corpse, as she had no wish to live after her revenge had been inflicted.— Vollmer, Woi'terh. d. Afi/thol. s. v.
Sigrhoeffundr, in Norse mythology, was one of Odin's names, signifying the originator of victory.
Sigrlin (or Signrliii), in Norse mythology, was a daughter of king Swafnir of Swawaland, and the most beautiful of women. She was sought in marriage by king Hiorward and also by Hrodmar, the former win- ning the prize through the cimning of his follower, the
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jarl Idmund, who shot the jarl Franraarr when the lat- ter, wearied with tlie duty of guarding Sigrlin, which he did in the form of an eagle, had fallen asleep. — Voll- mer, Worterb. d. iJythvl. s. v.
Sigrun, in Norse mythology, w-as a celeljratcd he- roic maiden of the primitive time. See Swawa.
Sigrunnur, in Norse mythology, was a surname of Odin, signifying the fortunate victor.
Sigthror, in Norse mythologj', was one of Odin's names, signifying the mighty victor.
Sigtifar (the fortunate, victorious gods), in Norse mythology, is a name given to all the Asens.
Sigtopir (the houses of the blessed ones), in Norse mythology, is the abode which shall be occupied by the asas who remain after the destruction of the world. — Vollmer, Worterb. d. Mythol. s. v.
Sigtiin, in Norse mythology, is the residence beside the M»lar sea in the dominions of king (iylfe which Odin selected for himself. It was a temple and place of sacrifice. — Vollmer, Wor-terb. d. Mythol. s. v.
Sigtyr, in Norse mj'thologj^, is a surname of Odin, signifying the god of victory,
Sigurlami, in Norse mythology, was a son of Odjn who was made king of Garderike (Russia) by his father. He married Heida, the daughter of a Swedish king, and became the ancestor of a famous race of heroes. — Voll- mer, Worterb. d. Mythol. s. v.
Sigyn, in Norse mythology, was the wife of the evil asa Loki, to whom she bore two sons, named Narve and Vale.
Si'hon (Heb. Sichon', "in'^p [or 'n^D, Numlx xxi, 21, 23, 26, 28, 34, xxxii, 33; Deut. i, 4; ii, 24, 31, 32; iii, 2, 6; iv. 46; xxix, 7; Josh, ii, 10; Jer. xlviii, 45], siveeping away, i.e. warrior [Gesen.], or bold [Ftirst] ; Sept. Sjjwj/ v. r. Sioiv; Josephus, "Zi-j^wv), the king of the Amorites when Israel arrived on the borders of the Promised Land (Numb, xxi, 21). B.C. 1618. He was evidently a man of great courage and audacity. Short- ly before the time of Israel's arrival, he had dispossessed the Moabites of a splendid territory, driving them south of the natural bulwark of the Anion with great slaugh- ter and the loss of a great number of captives (xxi, 26- 29). When the Israelitish host appears, he does not hesitate or temporize like Balak, but at once gathers his people together and attacks them. But the battle was his last. He and all his host were destroyed, and their district from Arnon to .labbok became at once the pos- session of the conqueror. Josephus (-4??^ iv, 5, 2) has preserved some singular details of the battle, which liave not survived in the text either of the Hebrew or Sept. He represents the Amoritish army as containing every man in the nation fit to bear arms. He states that they were unable to fight when away from the shelter of their cities, and that being especially galled by the slings and arrows of the Hebrews, and at last suffering severely from thirst, they rushed to the stream and to the shelter of the recesses of the ravine of the Arnon. Into these recesses they were pursued by their active enemy and slaughtered in vast numbers. AMieth- cr we accept these details or not, it is plain, from the manner in which the name of Sihon fixed itself in the national mind, and the space which his image occupies in the official records and in the later poetry of Israel, that he was a truly formidable chieftain (l)cut. xxxi, 4, Josh, ix, 10; xi"i, 2, 5; xiii, 10, 21, 27; Judg. xi, 19, 20, 21; 1 Kings iv, 19; Neh. ix, 22; Psa. cxxxv, 11; cxxxvi, 19). It is probable that a trace of the name still remains in the Jebel Shihan,a lofty and conspicu- ous mountain just to the south of tlie Wady Mojeb. — Smith.